In preparation for the Xbox Series X, Microsoft appears to be continuing a major overhaul of Xbox's online services.

In a statement to TrueAchievements (via TechRadar), Xbox revealed that it will no longer sell 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscriptions. 'Currently, Xbox has decided to remove the 12-month Xbox Live Gold SKU from the Microsoft online store.'

For the time being, you can still pay for Gold on a monthly or three-month basis in case you wish to maintain online access. But if you are an avid Xbox player, you will be more interested in what Microsoft is trying to create next.

We recently heard that Xbox is integrating its Game Pass and xCloud services. Integrating game-on-demand and game streaming means that users will no longer need to fill their console storage with games, but instead will be able to play games on their Xbox or Android devices linked to their account via the cloud This means that users will no longer need to fill up their console storage with games, and will instead be able to play games on their Xbox or Android devices linked to their account via the cloud. Based on this recent Xbox Live Gold move, it is possible that Microsoft is planning to incorporate this into a new all-in-one subscription.

Perhaps we can also expect closer integration in Game Pass Ultimate, which supports PC games as well as Xbox consoles. Xbox has introduced Smart Delivery, which allows users to purchase games on Xbox consoles and PCs simultaneously It would not make much sense to continue to run the Xbox and PC versions of Game Pass as separate entities.

The Xbox Series X will be released in November, as will the PS5. Both share many specs, including ray tracing support and fast SSD storage. However, the Xbox has several teraflops more GPU output than the PS5 and a Smart Delivery system. The PS5, on the other hand, stands out by focusing on exclusive games, 3D audio, and the DualSense haptic controller.